Bass Traps: Having Trouble Finding The Best Trap For Your Room? - AcousticsInsider.com

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Are you having trouble finding the right bass trap for your studio?
You know you need more low end control, so you go online and you google "bass traps". But there are just so many different products and designs out there and they all sort of promise the same thing!
"Best bass trap on the market." "10x more effective than the competition." etc.
And then you see the price and you're like: "Hang on, before I spend any money I need to know that this is actually going to work in my room!"
Why is that? Why is it so difficult to tell what all these different products actually do, and if they actually work?
Today I want to give you my main 2 reasons why I think you're having so much trouble finding the best bass trap for your room.
Then I want to show you a simple method you can use to figure out what kind of bass trap you are looking at and how it works, where to put it, and help you decide if it's worth spending your hard earned cash.
Related blog post on Acoustics Insider:
www.acousticsi...
Resources in this video:
www.acousticmod...
Cox, T.J. and D’Antonio, P., 2017. Acoustic absorbers and diffusers: theory, design and application. CRC Press.
Acoustics Insider - Acoustic treatment techniques for home and project studios that actually work, without all the voodoo.
www.acousticsin...
Acoustics Insider on Social Media:
/ acousticsinsider
Jesco Lohan - Mixing Engineer
jescolohan.com/

[@FiggyFiggleton]

I have an 11"x11" room and have been struggling with the low end. On a whim I threw some blankets in empty guitar boxes, threw them in the corners and found it actually worked. I know it's not as good as the real thing, but oh man... for a guy with absolutely no budget, it's a nice alternative.

[@1BLACHI]

Thats actually kinda genius. Use jeans or towels, they are much thicker will work better

[@audiononsense1611]

If your happy then ok. Just don't go where you can hear what's missing... FYI- It will never be a square room unless 40x40x40....

[@Adiaf8oros]

11:00 and you're probably done.. Thanks a lot for the info!! But it was a bit too long.

[@themagicalducklings]

Here's the meat 9:25

[@welderfixer]

Great info in this video. If you have a problem that needs to be fixed, it must be measured first. No product will fix a 40hz issue if it is not made to absorb 40hz. A 40hz absorber is really thick! 4 inches of Rockwool is not enough to stop 40hz.

[@cablebrain9691]

Sorry, but I found this video to contain little useful information for the amount of talking done.

[@burakbasut]

very well explained. first i was so happy to meet this channel, subscribed immediately but after watching 5-6 videos, i felt the same way.

[@niclasrundkvist]

I'm so happy to have found your channel! Finally, a pedagogical and well presented source of professional knowledge about acoustics. And your "Complete guide to bass traps" was exactly what I have been looking for. Thanks alot and keep up the good work.

[@ColocasiaCorm]

Whats pedagogy. Is it pedophilia or pedicure.

[@anttiniku5223]

Good summary of the challenges in bass trapping. Another unappreciated issue is that you need a lot of surface area, even whole walls or several corners be treated before you notice the effect especially in the lowest frequencies. Few commercial products make sense in those scenarios or they become really expensive.

[@izismael5075]

Thank you!! I am exactly in the position you described early in the video. Small room. No money. :) I have downloaded your complete guide and will spend some time with it to hopefully arrive at a workable solution for me.

[@stevemasonwilder9]

This is one of the most helpful videos I’ve seen about bass traps and acoustic treatments generally.

[@valentinm8221]

Super Tutorial, suchte die Videos seit ein paar Tagen in Vorbereitung auf ein eigenes Hobby-Homestudio. Sehr hilfreich und gut verständlich erklärt, vielen Dank!

[@thumbs3000]

Do you think layering panels in corners would make sense for bass trapping? I have some spare fibreglass panels that are 5cm thick and 60x60cm square. Would it make sense to put all four of them pressed against each other in one corner as a bass trap?

[@artishard116]

Trying to understand the use of air gaps. Hypothetically, would it be better to Use a 6" porous absorber spaced 2" off of a wall, or an 8" absorber directly on the wall? Or is this functionally the same thing?

[@Juliano_DJOL]

Man u just need to make a 3 part series... 1. How to test treated vs not treated room 2. How to treat a room and cost of different panels, what's first or helps most. 3. Real world examples and how close to perfect you can get

[@fetusbelt6851]

its always so much talking without saying anything

[@prjxns]

you sir are a saint

[@sjoerdlintsen]

This is so helpful, thanks!!!

[@jmpsmash]

One of the best explanation for bass traps out there. Thanks!

[@kjmusic2541]

Someone wrote this on a FB group "Wood, especially layers is a natural low freq absorber because it moves and resonates at many freq in the audio spectrum. The mass of layer of wood diffuses sound and absorbs sound." Is that true, is wood (he mentioned OSD board and oak for flooring for absorbing? If wood is a great absorber of low frequencies, why not build bass traps out of big chunks of wood? You then get people saying less dense Rockwool is better for absorbing lows than more dense Rockwool. Is this true too? How can soft mineral wool, but hard wood both be good at the same job, they seem like they would have the opposite properties? Thanks

[@liamquinn]

Really glad I found your youtube page! Trying to look this up is always feels a bit like superstition rather than science great to here the science. One question you say that it is more the thickness of the material not the density that matters for bass traps? If I was to make some out of rockwool then would I not really matter if it was 45g / m3 or 100g / m3 as long as it was deep? Thanks for the helpful videos!

[@jimmykaka89]

Jesco, I’m currently building a HT. I have two rear corners that I’m building corner cabinets out of MDF. They’re going to be quite large, 2.3 metres tall, 80cm across the front face wall to wall. Essentially it will be dead space other than housing in wall rear speakers. Would I benefit from filling with rockwool and covering with fabric?

[@charleshuguley9903]

So for most of us, it's just a matter of figuring the wavelength of room mode you are treating, buy as much porous absorber (fiber glass or mineral wool) as you can afford and place it across the quarter wavelength position.

[@mikemcguinness1304]

Yes but you say that but how do you actually physically put say 90hz into a trap that will absorb it

[@charleshuguley9903]

@@mikemcguinness1304 Well, it's not like a trap that you can put the wave in. The porous absorber reduces the energy of the wave, turning some of it into heat through friction. You'll never be able to eliminate the wave, but you can reduce its amplitude. A 90 Hz sound wave has a wavelength of about 13 feet. It' maximum amplitude is at the quarter wavelength position, about three feet from the wall. This is where you'll be able to reduce it the most. Say the greatest thickness of absorber you can reasonably place there is eight inches; center it at three feet for maximum effect. If this is impractical, use less absorber, or place it closer to the wall. This will help; it just won't be as effective.

[@mikemcguinness1304]

Nice reply Charles. What are youe suggestions on transparent cloth for the rock wool

[@charleshuguley9903]

@@mikemcguinness1304 I would use cotton duck cloth. It's acoustically fairly transparent and inexpensive- as little as $3 or $4 per yard.

[@brettmarlar4154]

So how do you measure if the issue is velocity or pressure oriented?

[@MC-vv7us]

Hi there, I can see all the science behind what you guys say. However I'm just a guy who has a good system in a 8x10 room which is purely for me to relax and listen to music. How far do I need to go to have good listenable sound without spending thousands of dollars. Thanks.

[@timothylewis2450]

Same here. 12x12x8 with a window and a modest budget.

[@cultra9292]

Thanks for the great overview and clear explanations!!

[@spyro5484]

I just bought 2 sets of high-end Bass Traps - next time you are in BXL we do measurements :)

[@crescentmoon54]

Excellent tutorial...!!

[@mikiyosangyo1627]

Alright then, how do I tame a bass wave that have a length of 3, 4,5 or 6 meters (10, 15, 20 feet)? How deep need to be my bass trap? In a room that is 3 m x 6 m? Thanks ;)

[@midas1048]

danke jesco! richtig gute videos, die mir gerade sehr weiterhelfen :) hoffe dir gehts gut! lieben gruß

[@arthuralexander4687]

This is some really great stuff! Thanks a lot for the info man!

[@maxmus9854]

Thank you, man... Your channel is a treasure.)

[@Splitbrainmusic1]

Thanks again for this great explanations & clarifications :-) I wonder what's your opinion on the primeacoustic Bass traps. The cumulus seems like an interesting & rather elegant solution. Maybe you can add them to your Bass Traps guide or refer to them in one of your videos.Thanks again for sharing this great info.

[@officialWWM]

So glad I found your channel. So much golden information here!

[@bakedcreations8985]

Great video. Question: Is it OK to think "I'm a poor men mixing in a small room anyway so all 4 corners will be covered with stonewool from ground to sealing"? Do you think it would help?

[@-303-]

I think a better analogy might be picking clothes for a vacation. Unless you know where you are going and what kinds of activities you will do there, you don’t know what kind of clothes to pack.

[@AaronWeinzierl]

WELCOME BACK!!!

[@unofficialunreleasedgems2058]

I just read your bass trap guide. I would like to buy "Porous Material Traps" in Germany/Thomann. Do you know where to buy them in Germany? Unfortunately I found only Tube Traps, Resonance Traps at Thomann. Your help is highly appreciated.

[@Cantersoft]

9:42

[@DannerPlace]

It would have been helpful if you correlated depth/thickness of a velocity absorber with the lowest bass frequency. That does appear to be the answer to the question that most viewers would be seeking?

[@sholomdym5369]

INSANELY well explained Tÿ

[@thesonicsolution1976]

Where can I find the calculations for a Binary Amplitude design? The slats seem like they work well with absorbers, but I cant find the formula for it anywhere.

[@tillkaefert]

great channel. 🔥

[@paultnl]

Awesome, thanks

[@infinaneek]

Very good!

[@GusAndrade]

Thanks for the free E-book! A great reference for trying to figure out what's going to work best for my setup! Quick question: Are super-chunk bass absorbers (positioned further from wall) a better option than corner bass traps? Considering they ate the same material and depth.

[@FOH3663]

Super Chunk = Corner Bass Trap

[@accentontheoff]

I realise this is the opposite of what this video / channel is about but I do ask it as a temporary solution till I can work out something long term. Basically, I have heard some people recommend mixing etc at low volumes with close listening. Does this work. Anyone?

[@theheadsn]

I know you've brought up the HiFi situation in a living room before, and that its basically futile to try and properly "fix" the room without fundamentally changing it; I'm curious though on your thoughts of open rooms. My listening area is 6000+ cubic sqft with 8ft ceilings. Do you think lower frequencies are a bigger issue or higher at that point?

[@Academicidiot]

High frequencies are easier to treat, e.g bass traps will absorb highs as well as bass. To get an even response then thick broardband bass traps in corners first is the simple effective treatment. While the video bemoans the Trial and error method, it is better to make a start than to worry too much about the 'ideal' solution.

[@gutshisalamanca1191]

Yeah! Nice to see you again :)

[@theRealCaptainZork]

What do you think about superchunks, are they more effective then thick panels in corners? Thanks!

[@computerguy3812]

thank you for your help bro

[@MrMarcolondonuk]

Can I use a strawbale with some holes drilled inside, as bass trap?

[@NelsonGast]

My favorite part of your bass trap guide is the last page: "How to use them: ● Don’t. When to use them: ● Never. How many you need: ● None."

[@Tex777_]

Context: Comments are in regards to the room "corner triangle bass traps"

[@NelsonGast]

oink ooink - check the description, there’s a link to a pdf that clearly goes over all the types. (If you want the tldr version, make a broadband absorber that’s at least 6” deep) You can also check out his website, I believe he has a course specifically for bass traps (it might still be in beta tho)

[@MiaHutchinsonShaw]

Thank you!

[@multimediasecurityconsulti4681]

Jesco I absolutely do love your no-nonsense approaches, you do a great job ! I started sending you people with interests in home studio building, you are a prime source regarding home studio acoustics !

[@MrWideeye]

Non nonsense haha. Have you had his barrage of essays he writes claiming crap. 13 different labs.. and what you think that proper sound engineers tell lies. Fuck this guy wanting money to show you how to build the best bass trap. Makes me laugh so much. I had no experience at all until watching a few FREE videos on youtube and now have perfect sound from paying 130 pounds on materials.. this guy wants you to sign up, constantly barrage you with statistics emails. No explanation on his videos except garble for half hour. Emails proving fuck all then a fee at end lol

[@multimediasecurityconsulti4681]

@@MrWideeye oh dear, why so much hate? What have you given to the community lately if at all ?

[@marcio62091]

Thank you so much!

[@Ab20222]

What’s your opinion about the Acoustic Fields bass traps?

[@federicoverdicchio]

Hey Jesco thanks for all your insights. I'm about to make floor to ceiling tri-traps and I use thinking to use a 11kg/mc glass wool roll of 10cm thickness. Cutting it in triangles the absorber will end up being 40cm on each side of the wall with a face of about 57cm and a depth into the corner of 28cm. I've read a lot on gearspace about using this kind of product density when making deep absorbers because of the low air flow resistivity value. What's your take on this? I think this will be useful to others to if you'd like to reply or even make a video in the future. Cheers!

[@mehlek23]

Have you done it yet?

[@federicoverdicchio]

@@mehlek23 I haven't yet but I'm about to start with it! I'm gonna do 16cm deep panels as well for first reflection points and for those I'll use a slightly heavier glass wool, about 18kg/mc

[@YFEmaxi]

u made me understood that whats i did was good but not enough . 100mm rockwool aint enough. u need 200 minimum thikness

[@ferethere]

You're the best!

[@InBoostWeTrust7MGTE]

i have a feeling he is a car guy. Very often he uses comparison with cars. I like that :)

[@keeferdog5617]

Good stuff! New sub here! So, what’s the difference for treating a dedicated 2channel audio room vs your studio/mixing room? Are the basic principles the same? I have a crap room for acoustics (suspended on 2nd floor) I know I’m losing a lot of energy with my high end audio system. The floor seems to act as a speaker (carpeted plywood) - reverberates etc. When playing my stereo and standing directly under it in the garage, you can hear the stereo “loudly” leaking directly through the floor. I have no clue on how to go about “fixing” my dedicated 2 channel room other than talking the wife into letting me use the living room that’s on a cement pad- and that AIN’T happening....it’s a dramatic difference in my audio system sound quality from my 1story ranch home with cement floors to the new house and being allocated a bedroom on the second floor for my man-cave listening room. I’ve lost the low end and don’t know if it can be “fixed” on a suspended floor..any thoughts....anyone??? Besides moving

[@yoogeebearproductions4581]

Keeferdog, Yes the same principle apply- bass traps, first reflection points for room treatment. You are also touching on soundproofing which is different to room treatment. The sound transfer is caused by the sound going through your speaker cabinet to your floor, as well as air born sound through your walls and floor. If you have spikes on the speakers take them off, isolate your speakers from your floor. How? Use something like this- isoacoustics.com/products/gaia-series/ This will minimise sound transfer to garage but it will not stop it due to the floor construction. To stop the sound transfer you need a room within a room or some heavy duty deadening material in between like sand. You get heavy duty sound deadening matting use that for underlay, if you can get your floor up then there is lots of sound proofing treatment you can buy. As I said before this will not stop all the sound going through to the garage you'll still get sound through your wall transferring through and anything else that is touching your floor will radiate sound. If you have absorption surfaces- plaster board walls in comparison to brick walls then you will loose bass attack, no idea how to sort this maybe bass traps, maybe Jesco can pipe up and reply...

[@keeferdog5617]

@@yoogeebearproductions4581 Thank you for the great reply! I will look into your suggestions- Thanks Again

[@MatiasMunoz-ex4do]

I know bass traps can reduce reverbation time, but i want them to reduce dB at low frequencys ... how can i know the reduction of low band noise?

[@berlyfredy7153]

Use parametric EQ.

[@BrewReview]

You would look up the absorption coefficient of said material, target the problem frequency you’re experiencing and place them precisely in the areas where that frequency problem builds up in your space. You would want to measure your room before installation and afterwards to see any potential results.

[@liamo4]

Very helpful informative download. Thank you. Good luck with your efforts.

[@Mythbuster42]

Question : 1: 55 How to locate high presure in a room? So I can put the panel correctly. Thanks 😊

[@NathanOakley1980]

Panca Tab play a test tone at the frequency you want to test.... ....walk around the room and listen/ use an SPL meter to find the area with high pressure.... Once you start it will become obvious where the pressure is.

[@accentontheoff]

@@NathanOakley1980 Any app you can recommend for this? Would the tone generating app and the spl app be the same. Thanks.

[@juwbone]

The download has been very helpful, thanks.

[@Oneness100]

The best ones I've found are the Acoustic Fields. They have a dual diaphragm, a very inert cabinet, and they use activated carbon (patented and they make them specifically for sound absorption). They have a variety of different sized low frequency absorbers depending on the problem you are trying to fix, plus they can custom make them if one of their existing products won't fix the specific problem you have. Plus they sell the DIY build plans so you can make them yourself and save some money. You can also build your walls with their activated carbon built into the wall cavity where each stud space is designed for a specific needs.

[@charleshuguley9903]

Do you think the size (assuming they are small) and form of activated carbon granules really matters?

[@Oneness100]

@@charleshuguley9903 there are a lot of different ways to make activated carbon and they are typically made for specific purposes. The ac for water purification is different than for air purification, etc. talk to Dennis, he’s tried many different types.

[@charleshuguley9903]

Don't you just need to work out the modes in your room and get the material and depth needed to treat it?

[@Victorius]

You are the Vsauce of acoustics community

[@Oneness100]

The product you are showing the graph at around 6:30 in the video isn't really a bass trap. They aren't even testing it below 100hz.. It's more of just a broadband mid-high absorption device. the most effective products I've seen and heard are the Acoustic Fields ACDA devices or the Carbon Panel devices. It all depends on the problem before you choose which product(s) to use and where to place them within the room. Some of them you can have acoustic foam on the front to go after the midrange and high frequencies.. With a Membrane/Diaphragmatic Absorber, the depth dictates the resonate frequency and the fill material will dictate how much it will absorb. Different materials will dictate how much of which frequencies it will absorb. The more porous and dense the material, the more it will absorb.

[@JulianFernandez]

thanks

[@Hermiel]

Forget all that technical stuff. Just call DHDI. They'll come wrap your room in quantum wallpaper and tell you that your acoustic problems are over! Just sign this NDA and don't take any measurements!

[@andysummersthxcinemaandmyc7748]

sigh nearly all youtube are clickbait , just shows people not the product and actual room and actually seeing this device with RTA and reducing or showing , nearly all videos i seen , clickbait people sigh , not interested in active bass traps now just people blah , blah , blah clickbait

[@TheCunnu12]

Man look, everything’s fine, you know your stuff but you talk too much and too many examples. Go straight to the point. It is annoying listening to all these words. Please, don’t want to troll you but seriously, I would like to follow you but it is hard. The tittle says something and the video another thing. “Having trouble finding the best bass trap for your room?” Yes. After 3 min...eeehm Yess, after 5 min yeeeees...7 min YES...9 min...YEEEEEEEESSSSSS ! ! ! ...and the answer at 9:38 ! So, my suggestion. Start first with the part from 9:38 and then for who wants to know more continue to watch the video. Something like: “ Having trouble finding the best bass trap for your room? Ok, You need this this and that. Why? Because...bla bla bla bla bla”

[@markbourcier1980]

I watched the whole thing and still don't know what to get.

[@bigboss-qv7pe]

@@markbourcier1980 same! His videos are designed to make the viewer click the CALL TO ACTION link, which is his shop most likely! It's a money scheme, I found youtube to be filled with these guys just posting content talking about nothing, making acoustic treatment complicated and scary.

[@michaelpal7641]

@@bigboss-qv7pe and @mark Bourcier- 1000% correct..and when you follow the links..Yup, you have to enter an email address where upon entering your email address, you get a free guide, which tells you next to nothing..and then shortly after that..an onslaught of emails.."for just $99.99, you too can treat your room like a professional studio"

[@AlexD12345]

Pointless ramblings galore. 😔